Nibwaakaawin – All Nations Skate Jam

We had a great trip to the Chicago. We sold a lot of shoes and got some media coverage in the process! Check out this article about the shoes at the Native News Network:

We brought plenty of shoes back to Michigan with us so now they can be yours! Email shoes@allnationsskatejam.com or call 517-515-6357 to order yours. Pick your style below and we’ll let you know if we have your size. All profits go toward our events, including the All Nations Skate Jam to create safe spaces for our Native youth to stay active and healthy.

We can’t believe how time has flown and how much has been going on over at Nibwaakaawin! The Pendleton Vans continue to get national media coverage, Native Threads and Bryant Chapo are representing up in Canada this weekend, and our crew is getting ready to head out to the Indigenous Games in Milwaukee in July. Meanwhile, the Stronghold Society is gearing up for their big July event – the ONE GATHERING Skate for Life – July 9. Check out their website for more information strongholdsociety.org.

But let’s backtrack a bit. We’ve been so busy since the skate jam we haven’t had a minute to let you know how it went! Well it was awesome! We had a great turnout on Saturday with Pepsi/Gatorade, 4 Wheel War Pony, Native Skateparks, West Side Boys, Numunu Skate, Rockstar Energy Drink, New Mexico Extreme (NMX), the Mix Game Room, Vans Shoes, Native Threads, and many other vendors in full support. We had rockin music from Ethan103, Miracle Dolls, and many other local bands. We sold a ton of shoes and saw some great skating!

Things on Sunday didn’t go as well. It was cold and rainy and by the end of the contest it was actually snowing in Albuquerque! But we got through it and those who stuck around had a great time. Thank you to everyone who came out to skate or support the event! Check out our photo gallery for a closer look at what went down!

Pretty much as soon as we got back from the Skate Jam, we headed over to Menominee Wisconsin for a skate demo on the Menominee Indian Reserve. We had a great time. The riders were swarmed with kids wanting autographs. Hopefully we’ll get to go back! Check out some of the photos from that event as well.

The time has come for us to make the trip down to Albuquerque for the 5th Annual All Nations Skate Jam! Follow us (@AllNationsSkate) on Twitter and remember to check us out on Facebook for photos, live tweets, and updates from the event. It’s gunna rock! See you there!

Wounded Knee Skateboards and Stronghold Society were recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation to support the creation of the Wounded Knee 4 Directions Skate Park on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Pro skater Jim Murphy has teamed up with local advocates and members of the popular band, Pearl Jam to develop plans for a skate park on the reservation, which they hope will empower Lakota youth and bring change to a community that faces high rates of substance abuse, poverty, unemployment and crime. The Four Directions skate park has been building steam for several years and it’s exciting to see the plans get underway. From the Tony Hawk Foundation Website: “The THF Board of Directors chose the Pine Ridge skatepark as one of its top recipients with a 10,000-dollar grant. Board Members Chris Sacca and Ben Harper then each personally pledged an additional 5,000 dollars to ensure the Lakota-youth skatepark achieved its funding goal, and to add more rock-star support for this critical project.”

To read the full article and hear about another cool project that received funding in Cleveland, visit the THF Website.

Check out the designs for the Wounded Knee Four Directions Skate Park:

If you want to support Wounded Knee Skateboards and Stronghold Society in this awesome effort, contact Walt Pourier (of Nakota Designs) at 303-255-1730 or email info@strongholdsociety.org.